Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes

Name: Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 4 Teaspoons Ground Flaxseed + 1/4 Cup Water; 1 1/4 Cups Oat Flour; 1/3 Cup Almond Flour; 1/4 Cup Beetroot Powder; 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder; 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder; 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda; 1/4 Teaspoon Salt; 3/4 Cup Applesauce; 3/4 Cup Maple Syrup; 1/3 Cup Nut Butter; 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar; 1 Tablespoon Vanilla; 12 Ounces Vegan Cream Cheese; 3 Tablespoons Maple Syrup; 3 Tablespoons Cornstarch; 3/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

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Gluten Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes made from whole food ingredients. No dyes or food coloring, no oils or refined sugars. These decadent cupcakes are soft and light. A delicious plant-based treat!

Red velvet! It's one of my favorite flavors. I love the hint of chocolate that isn't too overwhelming. It creates a beautiful decadence. Slightly rich, but not too overwhelming. (If you want all the rich chocolate flavors, try my vegan gluten-free chocolate cupcakes.)

Then there's the icing. Red velvet cake often has cream cheese frosting. For this recipe, I recreated that classic cream cheese tang and sweetness with a vegan cream cheese frosting. It's so tasty I could eat it with a spoon!

What is red velvet?

Red velvet cake is traditionally a red colored layer cake with a buttercream frosting. The original red velvet cake did not use food coloring, but many modern day recipes use dyes to get that bright red color.

Red velvet is basically a white cake with a bit of cocoa powder mixed in. It's like a mix between a vanilla and chocolate cupcake.

This vegan and gluten free version of red velvet cupcakes is a healthier version of the traditional recipe. It's colored naturally and is completely plant-based, gluten-free, and oil-free.

If you're looking for an even healthier cake version of these cupcakes, head over to my plant-based red velvet cake recipe.

Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes being frosted

Why I love these Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes

Dietary needs - these cupcakes are vegan, eggless, gluten-free, dairy-free, oil-free, and refined sugar free. That's right! No vegan butter, no white flour, no sugar, AND made with whole foods.
Naturally colored - did you know that most red food dye is not vegan?! I don't know about you, but it freaks me out a little that food coloring isn't vegan. There are some vegan options out there, but for this recipe I opted for the whole food version - beets!
Moist, soft, fudgy and rich - this is not a dry, crumbly cake. In fact, it is rich and fudgy and incredibly moist.
Normal ingredients - I've been known to put some funky ingredients in my baking (hello sweet potato brownies & chickpea red velvet cake) but this recipe has nothing weird. You probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry.
Easy to make - no equipment necessary!
Very sweet - it's not as sweet as cupcakes you might get from a bakery or make from a box, but for a plant-based recipe, it's pretty sweet. Great for serving friends or family who aren't used to eating less sugar

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Flax Egg: a mixture of ground flaxseed and water. A flax egg acts like a regular egg, so these red velvet cupcakes can be completely eggless! The flax egg helps to bind the batter together
Oat Flour: sometimes I recommend using homemade oat flour in my baked good recipes. I don't recommend it for this recipe though - for a classic cupcake texture, opt for store bought. That said, homemade oat flour will still work, the cupcakes will just have a coarser texture
Almond Flour: Almond flour is my go-to flour to balance oat flour. Almonds have more fat, which means that they help lighten up the cupcake, making it less dense. AND they add flavor!
Beetroot Powder: this is how the cupcakes get their red color. Because we're not using a powerful food coloring, we have to use quite a bit of beetroot powder to get the red color. If you don't care about the color or don't want to use beetroot powder, you can just sub an equivalent amount of flour - this would result in a light brown cake
Cocoa Powder: use unsweetened cocoa powder
Baking Powder & Baking Soda
Salt
Unsweetened Applesauce: Unsweetened applesauce gives these cupcakes the perfect light and fluffy texture. Without it, the cupcakes will be too dense. If you don't like applesauce, don't worry - you can't taste it
Maple Syrup: my go-to sweetener. In a previous version of this recipe I used date syrup, but I now recommend using maple syrup for the best texture. If you want a completely fruit-sweetened muffin, this recipe does work with date syrup and you can sub in a 1:1 ratio
Nut Butter: Instead of using oil, we'll use nut butter as the fat source. Use a neutral-tasting nut butter like cashew butter or almond butter
‍Apple Cider Vinegar: in combination with baking soda, ACV helps the cupcakes to rise properly, so don't skip this!
Vanilla

Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes Ingredients

Frosting Ingredients

Vegan Cream Cheese: I used Miyoko's vegan cream cheese - it is made with whole foods, without any oils or gums.
Arrowroot Powder: Since the frosting has no butter, it needs to be thickened. Arrowroot powder is a starch that helps thicken the frosting without adding flavor. You can sub cornstarch.
Maple Syrup: As noted above, you can use date syrup here for a completely fruit sweetened cake, but date syrup is dark and will change the color of the frosting.
Vanilla Extract

How to make Gluten Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake tin with liners.

Step 2. Make a flax egg: combine the 4 teaspoons of ground flax with ¼ cup water. Set aside.

Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes Step 2

Step 3. In a medium bowl, mix the oat flour, almond flour, beetroot powder, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes Step 3

Step 4. In a separate, large bowl, whisk the flax egg, applesauce, maple syrup, nut butter, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla.

Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes Step 4

Step 5. Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet.

Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes Step 5

Step 6. Scoop the batter into the lined muffin tin. Fill each cup ¾ of the way full. You may have 1-2 cupcakes worth of extra batter - don't overfill the cups. Gently shake the pan for 30 seconds to help the batter settle.

Step 7. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes Steps 6 & 7

Step 8. Meanwhile, prepare the cream cheese frosting. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer beat the frosting ingredients until combined and slightly fluffy. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes Step 8

Step 9. When the cupcakes are cooled, spread frosting onto each cupcake. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes Step 9

FAQ & Expert Tips

Can I use this cupcake recipe to make a cake?

Yes, you can turn recipe into a cake. The batter will translate to a 9-inch springform or cake pan.

Be sure to line the pan with parchment paper (since you won't be using cupcake liners). If you make the recipe as a cake, it will need to bake longer in the oven, around 50 minutes. Watch it carefully, and check with a toothpick to make sure it's done in the middle.

Or, head over to my plant-based red velvet cake post and make a super healthy layer cake

Can I make mini cupcakes instead?

Yep! Use a mini cupcake pan and liners. And bake for 12-15 minutes. Use a toothpick to check for doneness.

Do I have to use beetroot powder? What can I use instead?

I've tested multiple versions of these cupcakes in an attempt to avoid using a powder. Unfortunately, if you want the red color, beetroot powder is the best option.

An alternate natural coloring option is pink pitaya powder. I have not tested this recipe with dragonfruit powder, but you could try that as well.

If you don't care about the color, you can omit the beetroot powder altogether and replace it with more flour. Alternatively, you can try a vegan food coloring.

Why cook without oil?

Oil is a processed food. To make olive oil, you take whole olives and press and press and press them until nothing is left except oil.

It takes a lot of processing to turn an olive into oil. And when you process the olives, you take out almost all of their nutrient content - like fiber - and the result is a high-fat, low-nutrient substance.

Plus, oil (even olive oil) has been shown to have the same detrimental affects to our arteries as fast foods. Read this article for more information.

Frosting Options

First, let me just say: these cupcakes are incredible without frosting. They do not need frosting to taste good! But if you want to frost your cupcakes, I've included a recipe for a minimally processed cream cheese frosting.

For a chocolate twist: use my oil-free vegan chocolate frosting

For a WFPB icing: head over to my maple pecan cupcakes and use the frosting recipe from that post

Storing these gluten-free dairy free red velvet cupcakes

Unfrosted cupcakes: store at room temperature in an air-tight container. The cupcakes will last for 5-7 days.

Frosted cupcakes: because the frosting uses minimally processed ingredients, it needs to be stored in the fridge. Store any frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator. They will last for a week

Recipe Prayer

Thank you God for the beautiful food that you give us. We are grateful for the incredible colors of your creation.

A red velvet cupcake with a forkful taken out.

More vegan cake recipes

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